"It won the blue ribbon in 1898..."

Sales of Pabst Blue Ribbon are up 25% this year. 25%!!!! And it may not be simply a reflection of the bad economy.

Throughout my time in graduate school, I often reflected on the power of PBR--why people who could afford remotely better beer still proudly boasted those little patriotic cans at social gatherings of the drinking kind.

An unpaid internship last summer and the drying up of funds that accompanies such a position led to a blind taste test of (and I'm trying to be diplomatic here) lower-end beers. And PBR did not win. Not even close.

(For inquisitive readers, Busch Light was the winner. The BL is $1 cheaper per case than the Pabst. Similarly, Keystone is $1.50 less per case.)

So what's this all about?

It's not the beer market. PBR hasn't been the top beer brand in this country since the 1890s, apparently winning it the blue ribbon and it's namesake. Now, it only comprises 0.7% of the US beer business.

It's not advertising. There was no reported PBR media spending in the first half of 2009.

It's brilliant marketing. Marketing that occurred before the recession.

It's retro. It's "ironic downscale chic." It's anti-establishment. It's a "hipster prop."

It's also the largest remaining American-owned beer maker.

For fellow grammar lovers out, I checked Urban Dictionary for PBR. There were many creative entries. My favorite follows:

"Derived from the Latin Pasbitinus Bluinus Ribbionus, it is a staple of white trash beverage consumption nation wide. As a noun, it is simple, referring to the mildly refreshing Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. As an adjective, it is being used to describe the people, actions and possessions of those who drink it most."

noun: "I drank a 24-pack of PBR and my wife drank my other case so I ran her over with my 1983 GMC 1500."

adjective: "That guy who ran over his wife with the pickup truck is pretty PBR."

An interesting glimpse into modern beer culture, I think.